Dachnye Hot Springs

Dachnye Hot Springs (Dachnye termalnye istochniki) is a thermal field in southern Kamchatka, Elizovsky district, at the southeastern foot of Skalistaya hill near the Mutnovsky volcano. The springs sit at about 800 meters above sea level, 120 kilometers from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. They form the fourth and largest group of the Mutnovsky springs, which is why the place is often called the Small Valley of Geysers, though the name is considered inaccurate: there are no true geysers here, and the site is in fact an active fumarole field.

What to see

The springs lie in a ravine with steep walls. At the bottom of the ravine, on the right-bank slope, there is a large bubbling cauldron about 30 meters deep. On the left wall of the ravine are several warm platforms releasing jets of steam, and a powerful steam-and-water fountain erupts in the streambed. The valley holds about a hundred such natural formations in total. There is also a small pool with thermal water and blue clay. The temperature of the steam-gas mixture reaches about 100 °C.

The water is sulfate-calcium hydrocarbonate-sodium in composition, with total mineralization from 0.12 to 0.7 g/l and silica content of 30–79 mg/l. Traces of antimony, copper, zinc, arsenic, manganese and radon occur in the emissions; the northernmost group, known as "Medvezhya" (Bear's), has a particularly high radon concentration. Today only the farthest, fourth, western group of springs is active. Rare plants grow in the area, including the orchid Oreorchis patens, Pauzhetka bentgrass, Fimbristylis ochotensis, Platanthera camtschatica and the lichen Cladonia grayi.

History

The springs became known in the 1960s, when they were discovered by a volcanological expedition led by T. P. Kirsanov. In 2002 the Mutnovsky geothermal power station was put into operation nearby, at the foot of the Mutnovsky volcano, drawing on the heat of the same volcanic area.

Getting there

The road to the springs runs from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky through the villages of Vulkanny and Termalny and over the Vilyuchinsky pass, ending at the Mutnovsky geothermal power station. From the station it is about a thirty-minute walk to the hot springs. A scheduled bus runs from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky to the village of Termalny, and the rest of the way is covered on foot or by off-road vehicle. A passenger car can manage the road in the dry season, but an off-road vehicle is recommended otherwise. The best time to visit is from July to October.